"O" files...

[DeepIron]

Hi folks... Ok, I'm banging my head on this one...
Does anyone know what the "O" prefixed texture files are for? For example: NDD_Akizuki_O01.dds, NDD_Akizuki_O02.dds ... :hmm:

I'm working on new content for SH4 http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=111177
and having a problem figuring out what they do and how they were made. My assumption is that they are used as lighting maps but I'm not sure. Can anyone who may have messed about modding SH4 textures shed some light on these? Thx!

[tater]

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=120918

The O files actually map the SHAPES on the object, unlike the T file which seems to be the texture, but parts of it are borrowed by different areas.

tater

[skwasjer]

Let me explain:

The Oxx textures are a combination of 2 textures. The RGB channel is an ambient occlusion map (prerendered details/shades/scratches/rust), and is mapped onto the model using a secondary UV-set (from TMAP). It gives large surfaces more diversity (which would look very plain with only 1 texture, see ship hulls in SH3) and the prerendered shadows can emphasize dark areas.

The alpha channel is a height map, and is used for bumpmapping (as are Nxx textures) which is a way to 'fake' depth on a flat surface (for instance door handles, window frames, rivets).

Here's a screenshot of the Txx texture and Oxx texture (RGB-channel!) mapped onto the Yamato:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...7&postcount=26

[tater]

The O layers actually show various hull form shapes, though. It seems like the only wat to put a specific pattern on a ship, for example. The T layer reuses the textures all over the ship. I am totally baffled by them

[skwasjer]

Why baffled?

A single texture is too small to contain details for an entire (big) ship. That's why it mostly contains 'material' type sections (metal/wood/some doors/some windows/etc), and is applied to entire areas. It will not give alot of details, see it as an overall paint job.

The Oxx texture comes into play here. Big areas (like the hull) can be given more detail now. See this as the finishing paint brush job. 20 doors that would otherwise look the same or a hull with repeating metal look, can now be touched up by blending different scratches, rust and shades over it.

[tater]

I understand what is going on (sort of) but it's damn confusing to make a skin. I wanted to dazzle paint a merchant. Yeesh. In the ships with such paint in the stock game, it is all done in the O layers.

On another add a japanese flag on the side. I found the middle section in the O file, but it's like an alpha channel, you can't paint with white.


tater

[DeepIron]

Thx guys... after I posted I did an experiment and got pretty much the same results as skwasjer did... then I opened the .cfg in data/Roster/Japan/Sea and lo and behold! :

[Texture 1]
TextureName=data/Sea/JPGunBoat02/JPGunBoat02_T01.tga
LightmapTextureName=data/Sea/JPGunBoat02/JPGunBoat02_O01.tga
NormalmapTextureName=data/Sea/JPGunBoat02/JPGunBoat02_N01.tga
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
Frequency=1

Helps to have your Wheaties early in the morning... BEFORE posting...

The O layers actually show various hull form shapes, though.

After reading the above threads and taters comment, I'm thinking that the easiest way to generate these beasts is to use the UV map I create and work in the 2D space component... (I'd have to show you, trust me...) applying a little creative gradient/blending function... It's going to be time consuming but perhaps I can write a procedure in the Gimp to automate it.

Will keep you posted...